A great way to immerse yourself in some of our local traditional culture is to visit Yungarra Gallery, a new addition to our little coastal town Dunsborough. Only a stones throw away from the Humidity Head Office, it's a gallery like no other boasting a diverse collection of Western Australia’s best Nyoongar artists. 

As soon as you meet Chris, the mastermind behind this fabulous concept, you can feel his true passion for this incredible gallery space. The tall high floor to ceiling glass paneling lets the gallery flood with the most perfect light to showcase these intriguing artworks.  

We let Chris introduce us to the Yungarra Gallery and share some of his insights of the interwoven history and stories of these very talented artists.

 Chris, we can feel your passion as soon as we meet you and your love for this artwork is apparent as you introduce your space and these incredible pieces, can you please give us a little insight to the reasoning behind you opening the gallery?

Throughout our journey in life we are always looking for something that drives us and that we are passionate about, learning about West Australian Aboriginal history and culture through their art became that for me. I realised how much I didn’t know and how uneducated everyone is on the subject. Sharing that history with people, constantly learning and growing with the artists - and not having a space dedicated for Aboriginal artists in the South West is why I chose this venture.

The artwork captures you as soon as you walk through the door and you're caught in a moment of reflection, imagining the stories, the knowledge and the learning that lay behind each piece. You feel the connection to the local land and sea that these incredible artist have. We know that you can’t possibly have a favourite artist amongst all this greatness, but we know that there must be some incredible stories behind the artists that you have chosen, is there one in particular that drives your passion for this project that you could share with us?

All the artists have their own unique background story and style which has helped me grow as an individual. This is what makes the space so diverse and different to any other Aboriginal art galleries you may have seen in the past. Norma MacDonalds story for me is the one that really gave me an insight and drive to learn more about West Australian history. Her art that she painted between 2000 - 2010 really showcased recent history, and what I learnt in such a small timeframe shocked me and gave me drive to learn more and share this knowledge with others. Despite being so talented she used her ability to retain history that effected her and many others through her art. 

Norma Macdonlad is one of our personal favourites, she is a Nyoongar Yamatji artist, a very talented painter, sculptor, printer and illustrator of children books. Norma grew up in the small town north-east of Geraldton called Mullewa. See her amazing artworks pictured here above and below.

Growing up she knew very little about her heritage, it was later on in life she ended up learning more about her family history and Aboriginal culture. Her official art journey started in 1994, when she enrolled as the only Aboriginal Art Student at Midland College of TAFE.  

On completion of her studies, she won the Sangora Award and with her prize money began the passage to research her unknown family history. The discoveries she made and stories she learned during these years are all reflected in her art. Norma has become a highly respected Indigenous artist whose work is recognised all over Australia and internationally. 

The Wadandi People (Saltwater People) are the traditional owners of this southwest land region. The artist behind these incredible pieces, above and below, is local Nyoongar artist Bradley Kickett. His artworks are influenced by experiencing Nyoongar country. He is diverse in his approach and paints everything from oceans to the rivers, wildflowers and the land from the air and intertwines stories and history that has been passed down to him by family and elders.